It was
early 1973, many years since the War in Vietnam started but two more years before
the conflict fully ended, President Richard Nixon announced that ‘peace with
honor’ had been achieved.

The Paris Peace talks with North Vietnam had
been going on for a long time when the talks concluded on
January 13, 1973 with the final agreement. The peace
agreement was formally signed on January 27, 1973. America's
longest war was finally over!

This was great news for all of us in the Military as this
unpopular conflict was coming to an end!
Ever since my first trip with President Johnson to Dallastown PA in 1966
there were always anti-war protesters present at every event that WHCA would
support! Bomb threats at speech sites became so frequent that the US Secret
Service would have Explosive Ordnance (EOD) teams sweep all locations where the
President, Vice President or other VIP’s were scheduled to speak. I personally
sat through many threats and demonstrations while working in the USSS command
post.

This was not a pleasant time for anyone remaining in the Military and the POW’s that first returned were not welcomed home by all Americans, it would take many months before our nation forgot this controversial conflict.

America’s POW’s are finally on there way home!

Inside the C-141A, later known as the "Hanoi Taxi"

Operation
Homecomingwas a series of diplomatic
negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 Americanprisoners of warheld by North Vietnam. On
Feb. 12, 1973, threeC-141transports
flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam,
and oneC-9A aircraft
was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. The
first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, later known as
the "Hanoi Taxi"
and now in a museum.

From February 12 to April 4, there were 54C-141missions
flying out of Hanoi, bringing the former POW's home. Each plane brought
back 40 POW's. During the early part of Operation Homecoming, groups of POW's
released were selected on the basis of longest length of time in prison. The
first group had spent 6-8 years as prisoners of war.

The first of the POW’s arrive at Clark AFB, PI.

POW's return home

After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350
Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of
roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered. These missing personnel would become the
subject of theVietnam War
POW/MIA issue.

Dr Henry Kissinger chief negotiator in the Paris Peace talks

President Nixon welcomes John McCain upon his return from Vietnam

The American commitment to defend South Vietnam, described as unequivocal by President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger, had been weakened by the Watergate scandal and Nixon's subsequent resignation. By that time, the Paris Accords seemed memorable only as the vehicle on which the United States rode out of Southeast Asia.

On April 30, 1975, a little over two years after the final
agreement was signed by the United States of America, the North Vietnamese Army
took over Saigon with little resistance, and Peace in Vietnam was restored!

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About Me

Information about the White House Communications Agency and my experiences from 1965 to 1973. Including the Presidential Emergency Microwave Facilities built in the 1960's. Experiences at Camp David, Cannonball Tower(1965-1970). Accounts of several overseas support trips including the Presidents trip to China, a look at President Nixon's Western White House in San Clemente CA, and The Flordia White House in Key Biscayne FL.